Male quolls in Australia may be mating themselves to death, finds new research

A tiger quoll

(Picture: Free usage)

Male quolls have been found to be mating themselves to death.

In a new study, the endangered animals were found to sacrifice sleep in favour of having sex - a stark contrast to female quolls.

Researchers found the high amount of energy exerted in order to mate, coupled with lack of sleep, is causing these northern male quolls to die even after a single breeding season.

It also found that female quolls were able to reproduce once but live up to four years compared to their male counterparts, who normally die after one season.

Known as semelparity, it relates to a breeding strategy whereby the specimen dies after it reproduces for the first time.

Northern quolls were found to be the largest mammals known to exhibit such breeding strategies.

What are quolls?

Quolls are carnivorous marsupials native to Australia and New Guinea.

Male quolls can weigh up to 600g and can grow to the size of a small domestic cat.

By tracking the activity of the marsupials on Groote Eylandt, off the Northern Territory coast, researchers also found a lack of rest during the breeding season contributed to their mass yearly die-off among males.

By the end of the breeding season, these quolls just look terrible

Dr Christofer Clemente

What the research found on male quolls

According to the study, published in the journal Royal Society Open Science, male quolls rested for only eight per cent of the time, compared to females, at 24 per cent.

Alongside lack of sleep, researchers find male quolls spent more time on the move, travelling around 35 km to 40 km in one night, they estimate.

Dr Christofer Clemente, study co-author, said: “The males are investing all this energy into… looking for the females, because that’s how they maximise their reproductive output. But they’re just not resting in between.

“By the end of the breeding season, these quolls just look terrible,” Dr Clemente added. “They start to lose their fur, they start to not be able to groom themselves efficiently, they lose weight and… they’re constantly fighting with each other as well.”